When Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine resigned on Tuesday to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Virginia, President Barack Obama chose a Gator to take his place when he selected Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a UF alumna, as the new DNC chairwoman Tuesday.
While two other women have been appointed to the position in the past, Wasserman Schultz would become the first chairwoman elected by the full DNC body if it approves of Obama’s choice.
Wasserman Schultz was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2005 after serving terms as a representative and senator in the Florida Legislature. As a Congresswoman, she represents parts of Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
Damien Filer, a UF adjunct lecturer and a political consultant who worked with Wasserman Schultz while she was a Florida senator, said her selection is a positive move for the Democratic Party because she is a “relentless fighter for progressive ideals.”
He said Democrats sometimes try too hard to compromise, even when it is an issue they shouldn’t be compromising on. Wasserman Schultz is willing to fight for what she believes in and will bring that attitude to the DNC position, he said.
“She wakes up every morning and spends long, long hours doing what she does not out of a sense of political partisanship or personal ambition, but because she feels an obligation to serve,” he said. “I think she’s exactly what the doctor ordered for the Democratic Party nationally.”
In a statement issued by Wasserman Schultz after Vice President Joe Biden announced her nomination, she said she would “guarantee that President Obama and Democratic candidates up and down the ballot are in the best position to win their races.”
Albert Matheny, associate dean of the UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a political science professor, said Obama’s nomination should benefit the party and Wasserman Schultz.
“The reason she has such good [political] skills is because she is very smart and very aware of her constituencies,” he said. “As a result, she should be particularly good at promoting the party’s agenda and interests.”
While she prepares for the 2012 election and deals with other issues in the DNC, she will also face challenges in the House of Representatives as she continues her term there.
But it shouldn’t be an insurmountable workload for the seasoned congresswoman, Matheny said.
“She has the energy and organization skills to do both jobs well,” he said.
Wasserman Schultz could not be reached for comment.
